Share

National Criterium Championship

Share

Rob Hayles filled another gap in his British Championships portfolio withvictory in the National Criterium championship, which took place in centralBirmingham at the weekend. However, the event ended in controversy as firstand third across the line, Chris Walker and Dean Downing, were bothdisqualified.

The decision centred on a crash in the latter stages of the race, in whichboth Walker and Downing were involved. According to the rules, riders whocrash can re-join the race a lap down without penalty, up until the lastfive laps. It appears that the Commissaires took the decision that the crashhad occurred within the last five laps and Walker and Downing weredisqualified. To his credit, Walker took the decision in a very sportingmanner, despite the fact that, had he won, it would have been a hat-trick ofNational Criterium titles for the Sheffield rider.

The race had all the classic ingredients of a Criterium, with a sportingcourse including short climbs and tricky corners complemented by the hotsummer weather, in direct contrast to most of the season to date. The eventwas run at a fierce pace, with an average speed of over forty kph, and therewere only eighteen riders still running at the finish.

Newsletter Terms & Conditions

Please enter your email so we can keep you updated with news, features and the latest offers. If you are not interested you can unsubscribe at any time. We will never sell your data and you'll only get messages from us and our partners whose products and services we think you'll enjoy.